Jackie Kooistra became the second Head Coach of the Aurora University women's hockey program in July, 2019.
In her first season at the helm of the Spartans, Kooistra led AU to a 17-10 record which set a school record for wins in the programs third season of play. Additionally, the 2019-2020 Spartans not only made the NCHA Slaats Cup Playoffs for the first time, they hosted the first round games as the third-place finisher.
Kooistra comes to AU with an impressive array of coaching experiences, instructing and teaching the game of hockey at various levels. Most recently, she served as the Director of Girl's Hockey for Team Illinois' AAA Hockey Club and before that as Head Coach of Girl's Hockey at her alma mater, Culver Academies Prep High School. She has worked with USA Hockey for the past six years as a player development coach and has also coached at numerous camps and clinics in Illinois and across the country.
Kooistra earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at University of New Hampshire while majoring in Kinesiology and Sports Management. As a player for the Wildcats, Kooistra had an impressive career, garnering many awards and accolades. During high school and college, she was selected to play at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY and to participate in Team USA 18U and 22U camps.
Her diverse coaching background, along with her focus on team culture, player development and skating skills make her an ideal fit for a program that is only entering its third year, but is poised to make big strides in the upcoming season.
AURORA UNIVERSITY COACHING RECORD
| YEAR |
OVERALL |
CONFERENCE (Place) |
| 2019-2020 |
17-10 |
11-5 (3rd) |
| 2020-2021 |
6-6-1 |
5-2-1 (2nd) |
| 2021-2022 |
22-7^ |
10-6 (2nd) |
| 2022-2023 |
21-5-1 |
12-3-1 (3rd) |
| 2023-2024 |
16-10-2 |
11-4-1 (3rd) |
| 5 Years |
82-38-4 (.677) |
49-20-3 (.701) |
 ^ NCAA Tournament Appearance
